1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of video conferencing and the field of digital cameras. In particular, the present invention relates to the temporal conversion of a video conferencing camera into a digital camera.
2. Background Information
As advances in microprocessor and other related technologies continue to improve the price/performance of various electronic components, video conferencing, including video conferencing conducted using personal computers (PC), has become increasingly popular in recent years. Numerous PC based video conferencing products designed to take advantage of the increased processing power of today""s PCs are now available in the market place. An example of such video conferencing products is the ProShare(trademark) Video Conferencing product, available from Intel Corp., of Santa Clara, Calif., the assignee of the present invention. Typically, these PCs are equipped with video conferencing cameras that are physically connected or tethered to the main system units of the PCs, for capturing the local video images.
Most recently, numerous relatively inexpensive but yet functionally rich digital cameras have also become available in the market place. The digital cameras are being used by amateur photographers for day-to-day routine casual photography as well as by professional photographers including photo journalists and artists for serious journalistic and artistic works. Many digital cameras include interfaces that allow the digital cameras to be coupled to PCs, such that the digital photographs can be downloaded to the PCs for viewing and/or further processing.
None of the video conferencing cameras known in the art can be detachably employed as a digital camera. Similarly, none of the digital camera known in the art can function as a video conferencing camera. As a result, users interested in both video conferencing and digital photography are disadvantageously burdened with the cost of purchasing both cameras. Additionally, since the video conferencing camera requires its own video capture add-on card, while the digital camera requires its own I/O port, the user is disadvantageously burdened with providing more I/O resources to the PC than necessary.
Thus, a more efficient and cost effective approach to meeting the equipment needs of users interested in both video conferencing and digital photography is desired.
A camera converter is disclosed. The camera converter includes a number of electronic components that operate to selectively generate digital still images responsive to user controls using video signals received from a removably attached video conferencing camera, which includes a lens and a first communication interface. The camera further includes a housing that operates to enclose the electronic components, and to removably accept the video conferencing camera. The housing in particular includes a view finder that is optically coordinated with the lens of the video conferencing camera, a second communication interface that mates with the first communication interface of the video conferencing camera, and user input mechanisms for providing the user controls.
A camera kit is also disclosed. The camera kit includes the above described camera converter and video conferencing camera.
The present invention will be described by way of exemplary embodiments, but not limitations, illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like references denote similar elements, and in which:
FIGS. 1a-1b are perspective and internal architectural views of one embodiment of a conventional video conferencing camera suitable for use to practice the present invention;
FIGS. 2a-2c are perspective, back and internal architectural views of one embodiment of a camera converter of the present invention;
FIGS. 3a-3c illustrate the operational flow of one embodiment of the method steps of the present invention; and
FIGS. 4a-4b illustrate a hardware and a software view of one embodiment of computer suitable for use to download the still images for display and/or processing.